What we do

SapoCycle turns discarded hotel soaps into life-saving products. We are a non-profit organisation that collects discarded soaps in European hotels, reprocesses them and distributes the recycled soaps to improve sanitary conditions of children and families in need. People with disabilities are in charge of the soap recycling, which allows them to work in a stable environment.

We coordinate the soap collection

Once the hotels have joined our programme, we provide them with instructions and marketing tools. The hotels collect the used soaps which are then transported by our partner Planzer, to the recycling facility.

We manage the soap recycling process

For the recycling of the soaps we partner with Wohnwerk (Basel, Switzerland), an institution that provides employment to adults with disabilities. They are in charge of grating, grounding, and turning used hard soaps into new hygienic soap bars, as well as repurposing liquid toiletries. Both processes are conducted under strict bacteriological control.

We organize the distribution with our partners

Our distribution partners work to deliver toiletries to families in need in Switzerland and help improve health and hygiene in developing countries and in refugee camps in Europe. They provide us regularly with feedback of the impact of the distribution.

Join as member hotel

Handwashing with soap removes germs.

Every year, 1.4 million people are dying from largely preventable diseases like pneumonia and diarrhea. Handwashing with soap before meals and after toilet use has been shown to reduce diarrheal infections by 40 percent (Source UNICEF).

«Proper handwashing may save the lives of 800 children a day worldwide» – UNICEF

HANDWASHING WITH SOAP is an easy, effective and affordable do-it-yourself protection that prevents infections and saves lives. Around the globe, millions of used hotel soaps are discarded everyday and sent off to landfill sites, creating an increasing environmental problem. With these two big challenges in mind, we committed ourselves to making a significant and sustainable contribution with our BUBBLES SAVING LIVES program.

The 3 Pillars of the SapoCycle Program:

Environmental

The recycling of used hotels soaps reduces the CO2 emissions of 90% compared to burning it with waste ((Source: Study by FHNW Switzerland 2016)).

Social Integration

Together with the recycling workshops we support people with disabilities to have a stable workplace and find a legitimate place in the economy.

Humanitarian Action

We facilitate access to soap for families in need in Europe and other parts of the world and thus help them to improve their health.

Our hotels

Who we are

SapoCycle was founded by Dorothée Schiesser-Peyrouzet. Dual Swiss-French citizen, with a political sciences and management degree, she lived with her husband in Cameroon, where she has been sensitized to diseases related to lack of hygiene. SapoCycle started in 2014 in Switzerland. In 2016 the Fondation SapoCycle was nominated for the Swiss Tourism Award. In March 2018, the Association SapoCycle France was created in Mulhouse, France, by seven founding members including the Fondation SapoCycle.

The Fondation SapoCycle is a non-profit organization under the umbrella of the Fondation des Fondateurs. Our missions is made possible by our strong partnership with the hospitality industry, the institutions for people with disabilities, and with distribution organisations.

We are a committed and skilled team that strongly believes that the BUBBLES SAVING LIVES program can make a meaningful contribution both to the planet and the society.